paris day 8: cafe la fusee

i could tell you about the glass of wine i had on day 8, at the top of le centre pompidou, with a stunning view of paris all around. but what i really want to tell you more about is mint tea! it was hard trying to find a non-touristy (by which i mean expensive and not tasty with no atmosphere, because i know, i'm a tourist too) cafe to eat in anywhere near the pompidou. and just when i was about to throw in the towel, we stumbled upon a great little place, cafe la fusee. small but still serving food at 4 when we were wandering around and starving, we caught the tail end of everyone there for a long sunday brunch, and the early start of people coming in to watch the band that was starting to set up. but what i noticed was that everyone was ordering actual teas and coffees after their meals, not just the usual digestif or cafe. they were ordering iced coffees and frothy drinks (i've now come to learn that they are known for their coffees and teas) and then the girls beside me ordered an amazing-smelling mint tea. i'd already had two mint teas in the week i'd been there, made the way they should be–super strong and sweet too. but this one i could fall in love with for its looks too. i ordered one and it came with what i think was green tea in a diffuser, and large sprigs of fresh mint, covered to keep the steam in and with sugar on the side. i had a large section of mint in my backyard last summer which i grossly underused. i am having this tea 3 times a week this summer at least.